Ancient Skies

NARRATOR

On November 13th, 1577, Brahe spotted the Great Comet from his observatory. He set to work plotting its course. His calculations showed that the Great Comet was passing through the orbit of Venus. But according to the accepted wisdom, this shouldn't be possible. At this time, people believed that everything in the cosmos was contained within concentric crystalline spheres. The idea of the crystalline spheres isn't just a metaphor for people at this time. People thought that they actually were crystalline spheres.

NARRATOR

Brahe reasoned that it should've been impossible for the comet to follow this trajectory. The crystalline spheres ought to have stopped it in its tracks. He realised that the only way for the Great Comet to follow this path would be if the crystalline spheres simply did not exist. In effect, the comet of 1577 and Tycho's interpretation shatters those crystalline spheres.

NARRATOR

After 2,000 years, the crystalline spheres were gone. With the idea of a sun-centred universe taking hold, the door was open to a whole new era of astronomy. But there was still one ancient idea that remained. The belief that everything in the heavens moved in perfect circles. That was, until the arrival of a new star astronomer.